Gordon Hayward sheds his walking boot

The former Brownsburg High School and Butler star fractured his leg about six minutes into his Boston Celtics debut.
Nate Chute/IndyStar

Boston Celtics' Gordon Hayward watches from behind the bench during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in Boston, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017.(Photo: Michael Dwyer, AP)

Celtics forward Gordon Hayward did indeed get out of his waking boot today. No guarantee he stays out, depending on how his foot reacts, but he’s hopeful he’s done with it. Said Hayward: “Today has been awesome without the boot.”

Celtics coach Brad Stevens -- who also coached Hayward at Butler -- told Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on a podcast earlier this week that he didn't expect Hayward to return this season.

“His status is — the way that we’ve looked at it the whole time — is we don’t expect him back this year,” Stevens told Krzyzewski. “But he shoots for all of his goals — week-to-week, day-to-day — to try to expedite it as much as he can because he obviously wants to be back, like any athlete, as soon as they can.”